Part A: Simple Science

Simple science? What is that? For many people, science is a
far-from-simple anathema whilst for others it is akin to a religion,
where your grasp of arcane concepts determines your place in the
hierarchy. But the basics of much useful science are not difficult and a
simple view can get you a long way.

Science is full of rules that say ‘you can do this but you cannot do that.’
In inventing, we do not like the word ‘cannot’, so our look at science is more
about taking oblique, irreverent and sometimes downright unscientific views on
it.

But why? Should we not use science as it is? After all, many great minds have
worked for many years on giving us a sound set of rules. The answer is yes and
no. Yes, science is extremely useful but, as we shall say again, you do not have
to be a scientist to invent things with science. And furthermore, blindly
accepting what you are given is not a sound basis for inventing new futures for
the world.

Consequently, the next three chapters are about looking at science and
thinking differently. We start with some simple fundamentals and then take an
unusual peek at a scientific principle (friction) before attacking some everyday
odds and ends from a ‘simple science’ point of view.